Substance Dualism And Property Dualism : The Mind-Body Problem

At the start, I will talk about the argument from the religion aspect for dualism. Most major world religions are based on separating the ‘mind’ and ‘body’. The eternal ‘mind’ or soul either ends up in heaven or hell, free from the ‘body’ itself. According to a number of religions, there is some sort of life after you die; a good example of this is angels which some call the ‘mind’ of god exists without any physical presence. This is what we come to know as substance dualism or something that is very relative to a form of substance dualism. As a result, "seeing how uncertain dualism is, in principle, the similar would be a willing to also be uncertain in one 's religious tradition, which a lot of people find challenging to do". [Churchland] Yet, it must

In essence, Cartesian Dualism attempts to solve the mind-body problem – that is, what is the relationship between the mind and the body? The answer, according to this theory, is that the mind and the body are two distinctly different substances that constitute each person. Here, “mind” can be described as a nonphysical thing that thinks and “body” as a living physical thing that does not think. The mind can also exist independently of the body, and both can causally affect one another.

Dualism is one central approach that philosophers have taken to the mind-body problem. Dualism states that your non-physical mind is not the same thing as your physical brain. Dualists argue that the physical and non-physical are somehow connected and that your brain states cause your mental states, but they are not the same. To illustrate the argument for dualism, consider The Mary Argument, which is an argument for dualism that starts with a scientist named Mary who has lived her entire life in a black and white room. However, Mary knows everything there is to know about color vision.

This essay assesses property dualism, a theory of mind. It proclaims the existence of a single, physical substance (unlike Cartesian dualism), but argues that this single substance has two potential properties: physical and mental states that are not reducible.

Dualism is the philosophical theory that insisting there always two kinds of substances like Descartes’ Substance dualism. But the Materialism is different view that has only one kind of substance out there, the actual physical bodies of the substance. In this unit of study, I have learned some facts about each of the theories. They are different from the ground point that materialism only accepts the physical existence of the body, such as sensations, but the Dualism also believes the existence of the mind which is intangible and physical substance like the body, they might interact with each other in occasions. The mental substance that I will refer it as mind and physical substance as body in followings.

The defense of dualism stems from two questions. First, is a human being composed of just one ultimate component or two? The second asks if the answer is two, how do these two relate to one another? This idea starts Moreland argument for dualism over physicalism. Physicalism is a worldview that states that

Substance dualism argues that minds and bodies are made up of two separate substances, which are connected and interact in the body, but are fundamentally different in nature and composition. In Descartes’ argument for substance dualism, also known as Cartesian Dualism, he states it is conceivable for a mind to exist without a body, but not for a body to exist without a mind. The notion of conceivability argues that whatever is conceivable is logically possible, and because Descartes claims that it is conceivable for a mind to exist without a body, it follows by the notion of conceivability that a disembodied mind would be logically possible. Therefore, Descartes claims, substance dualism is true.

Thesis: The mind-body problem arises because of the lack of evidence when looking for a specific explanation of the interaction of mental and physical states, and the origin and even existence of them.

I am faced with the philosophical task of defending either dualism or materialism, depending on which one is most attractive to me. So either I support the theory of dualism, which is the belief that there is both a physical and a spiritual state, or I believe in materialism, which is the belief that everything that exists is material or physical. Although I believe materialism to be easier to prove, I find dualism more attractive to believe. Throughout the following, I will attempt to build a case for the theory of dualism giving insights both documented and personal. I will also shed light on the theory of materialism and the proofs that support this theory; showing that

Dualism says the mind and matter are two different substance. Either body can function without brain and our mind can carry on without body like they are 2 different systems. This can be correlated with our private consciousness and the knowledge of brains state as its common. They two are separate things and one is not related to another.

One of the most talked about concepts of philosophy is that of the mind-body problem. In short, the mind-body problem is the relationship between the mind and the body. Specifically, it’s the connection between our mental realm of thoughts, including beliefs, ideas, sensations, emotions, and our physical realm, the actual matter of which we are made up of the atoms, neurons. The problem comes when we put the emphasis on mind and body. Are the mind and body one physical thing, or two separate entities. Two arguments have stood amongst the rest, Interactionism and physicalism. Interactionism claims that mind and matter are two separate categories with a casual integration between the two. By contrast, physicalism draws from the idea that all aspects of the human body are under one physical being, there are no nonphysical connections that come into play. While both state a clear and arguable statement regarding mind-body problem, Interactionism gives a more plausible answer to the mind-body problem because although it may seem like we are tied as one, our minds have a subconscious that influence our thoughts, actions, ideas, and beliefs, which is completely independent from the realm of our physical matter.

“The mind-body dualism, in philosophy, is the fact that any theory that the mind and body are distinct kinds of substances or natures. This position implies that mind and body not only differ in meaning, but refer to different kinds of entities (Britannica).” The most basic form of dualism is substance dualism. Substance dualism is the idea that he mind and body are composed of two ontologically distinct substances. According to one who believes and studies dualism, the mind is comprised of a non-physical substance, while the body is constituted of the physical substance, also known as matter. Dualism is closely related to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. Descartes identified the mind with consciousness and self-awareness and distinguished this from the brain. He believed that the brain was the seat of all intelligence. This lead to a great debate over the mind and body. So, ultimately, what is the nature of the mind and consciousness and its relationship to the body?

The mind-body is made up of physical and mental properties. The physical properties “have a certain weight, shape, etc., and are publicly accessible” (Osmundsen, 2016), whereas, with the mental properties “there is a raw qualitative feel to have a mental state” (Osmundsen, 2016). These two properties cause many problems within human life, however there are five major problems arising about the mind and body. The majority of people do not put enough thought into these problems, but they are very important to understand. This paper will include those five different complications with the mind and body, give an argument for dualism, give a response for the argument, and include an opinion for the argument that is stronger and why it is stronger.

Descartes’ mind-body dualism establishes the mind as an immaterial, non-extendable entity, which engages in the processes of thinking, imagining, reasoning, and feeling. He distinguishes matter as the material substance that is extendable, and conforms to the mechanistic laws of physics. He believes the human mind (immaterial) and the human body (material) are clearly distinct from each other, yet they interact with each other , with the former causing the latter to act by causing mental events.

In The Concept of Mind, Gilbert Ryle labels the theory for mind-body dualism as “The Dogma of the Ghost in the Machine” (Ryle, 5). The argument for mind-body dualism states that two substances exist: physical substances and mental substances. ‘Physical substances are composed of matter’ (Ryle, 3). Moreover, physical substances are beings like bodies; they have a spatial location, but they cannot think. In comparison, ‘mental substances consist of consciousness’ (Ryle, 3). Mental substances are beings like minds; they can think, but they do not have a spatial location. Furthermore, the theory for mind-body dualism states that every living person has both a mind, which is a mental substance, and a body, which is a physical substance, and that the mind interacts with the body. Thus, when Ryle speaks of the ghost in a machine, he is referring to the idea that there exists a mental substance, a mind, which exists inside of the body, a physical substance. The mind is the ghost, which is inside the body,